


Like Gilded Clockwork

by Pixiemage



Series: Of Thieves and Wolves and Time Herself [1]
Category: Doctor Who (2005), Torchwood
Genre: AU, Alternate Timelines, Bad Wolf, Bad Wolf Rose Tyler, Divergent Timelines, Episode AU: s02e13 Doomsday, Episode Fix-It: s02e13 Doomsday, F/M, Falling In Love, Gen, In which Rose stays, Injury, Intervening TARDIS, Matchmaker TARDIS, Rewrite, Sentient TARDIS, Timelines
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-12-27
Updated: 2018-12-27
Packaged: 2019-09-28 11:18:07
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,836
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17181959
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Pixiemage/pseuds/Pixiemage
Summary: The TARDIS was, at her heart, time itself. Past, present, future...there was no difference between the three, as in her eyes it was all happening at once. Time was always in flux and she could see it all. What could and couldn’t happen, what was and wasn’t possible...the things that rang of wrongness in time’s slipstream and the things she could change to make things right. She saw timelines that almost were and timelines that could never be, and the ones that Never Were and Never Could were so much more numerous than the ones that Could and Did.She sat at the center of every moment in time, could feel the turn of the universe and every tiny change to the various timelines that spanned its existence. Some were beautiful...and some weren’t so pleasant.She saw futures that made her heart ache, ones in which her Thief was left with loss in his eyes and pain in his hearts. Her Thief deserved so much more than that. She had the power to tug at the smallest of golden strands of time, to change the smallest of moments so that events led to a better timeline than other ones that Could Have Been.Time and time again she had saved her Thief’s life...and one time, she chose to save her Wolf's.





	Like Gilded Clockwork

**Author's Note:**

> For anyone who doesn't know, this is a rewrite of a fanfiction I started about four years ago...and I never was happy with how it was turning out. This time around I feel more confident in my writing, more confident in my characterization...so here's hoping you all enjoy the new story I'm trying to tell.
> 
> The previous summary is still accurate, so I thought I'd share:
> 
> We know one timeline, one story, one possibility of what could have happened in their one lifetime.
> 
> But "What if..." and "If only..."
> 
> Aren't those the questions that create an alternate story, an alternate timeline? If in one moment, someone makes a slightly different decision and things turn out a different way...say, if a girl who fell in love with a time traveler chose to stay at his side, if her father never came to take her away...how would it all turn out? Or would it really turn out that differently at all?
> 
> An AU in which Rose isn't trapped in the alternate universe and the Doctor's life is turned upside-down.
> 
> Basically a rewrite of Series 2 onward, with some Torchwood mixed in and a bit of Sarah Jane Adventures later on.

Time was in flux, as it always was, and she could see it all. What could and couldn’t happen, what was and wasn’t possible...the things that rang of wrongness in time’s slipstream and the things she could change to make things _right._  She saw timelines that almost were and timelines that could never be...and the ones that never were and never could were so much more numerous than the ones that _could_ and _did._

She saw futures that made her golden heart ache, ones in which her Thief was left with loss in his eyes and pain in his hearts. She saw timelines where he loved and lost and never loved again, timelines where the deaths and losses outnumbered the wins. Her Thief deserved so much more than that. She had the power to change things, to tug at the smallest of golden strands of time, to change the smallest of moments so that events fell into a better line than the other ones that _could have been._

Time and time again she saved her Thief’s heart, changed the smallest of details so that his future wasn’t so bleak as it _could_ have been. Saved his life.

Her interventions had always been small. Tiny things, the smallest of moments...small suggestions in the back of his thoughts and the thoughts of his companions, to turn left instead of right, to duck _now_ ...to ask that _one more question_ that helped them to reach their goal in each adventure and, eventually, return safely to her console room. Tiny but important, things that wouldn’t be questioned, but all things that would stop a less friendly timeline in favor of one where everybody lived.

 

Like, perhaps, whispering in Rose Tyler’s ear even before she had boarded the TARDIS, urging her to keep looking for the Doctor even after he had told her to forget him.

 

“Really, though, Doctor,” Rose had asked, standing barely within earshot of the ship she had yet to meet, standing just across the street with no clue at all of what the little blue box was in the corner of her vision. She didn’t even notice it, too far away to see past the perception filter, as unaware as she was. “Tell me, who are you?”

And her Thief had responded, responded in a way that would surely leave anyone wanting to ask more questions, wanting to know _more._

“Do you know like we were saying about the Earth revolving?” he had told Rose. “It's like when you were a kid. The first time they tell you the world's turning and you just can't quite believe it because everything looks like it's standing still…I can feel it.”

He had locked eyes with her, had taken her hand, had tapped into her conscious perception just enough for her to feel a fraction of what he felt, for her to just barely begin to understand what he was talking about.

“The turn of the Earth. The ground beneath our feet is spinning at a thousand miles an hour, and the entire planet is hurtling round the sun at sixty seven thousand miles an hour, and I can _feel it_. We're falling through space, you and me, clinging to the skin of this tiny little world, and if we let go…”

And he had, in that moment. He had let go of her hand and Rose’s breath had caught, her focus suddenly snapping back to the here and now.

“That's who I am,” the Doctor had said. “Now, forget me, Rose Tyler. Go home.”

 

And he had walked away, walked away the same way Rose was about to do. But the TARDIS...she knew her Thief needed somebody, and she knew that Rose would be the one to help him. She knew it the same way she knew that, months from now, Rose will have made herself at home within the TARDIS walls, will have come to call the ship her home. She knew it just as well as she knew every other possible timeline, just as well as she knew that the only reason her Thief had not died in that explosion at Henrik’s...was because she had tugged at the thought of Rose in the back of his mind which she knew full well he was trying to ignore.

Her Thief had been ready to give in, ready to go out in the best way he knew how - saving the Earth. Going out with a literal bang. The memories of the Time War were still too fresh in his mind and he had been so ready to let it all go. But seeing Rose...something had changed in him. He had met an earth girl, a funny little human, one who seemed at first glance to be just like all the other foolish humans he met...but...no. She was different. She was clever and thoughtful, had found logic in a ridiculous situation, hadn’t run screaming as many others would. She had been scared, oh yes, but she was more focussed on the rush of adrenaline and trying to figure out the “why” behind what was going on.

She had caught his attention, peaked his curiosity, enough for him to go back and ask her name before she vanished.

The TARDIS had poked at that thought and tugged it gently back to the surface, and though he didn’t know why, the Doctor had let his thoughts linger on the clever human whose life he had just saved. He had thought of her, had grown curious, had grown hopeful. Instead of letting himself die on that rooftop he found himself plotting out an escape route even as he set the charges to blow the building sky-high...and though he didn’t know why, he didn’t really bother asking.

The golden glowing strand of his timeline, one that had wavered for that small moment of indecision, was pulled taut and solidified. It stretched out into the future again with a brighter shine than before...and the TARDIS, for lack of a better word, had smiled.

Just the same as she had tugged at her Thief’s thoughts, she had tugged at Rose’s.

_The Doctor. Look for the Doctor. Ask about the Doctor. Don’t give up on him. Keep looking._

And Rose had.

Her interventions had always, _always_ been small. Tiny things, the smallest of moments. Tiny, gentle suggestions and changes that gained no attention from her Thief and begged no questions to be asked.

Or... _almost_ always.

They had found a satellite, and satellite that rang of so much wrongness in her heart that she wished they had never landed...but at the same time she knew they had to. This was always meant to happen, was always their future. A fixed point and an ever-changing tipping point all at once. She couldn’t pull the timelines the way she normally would. Time was at war with itself, and she couldn’t reach the strands she needed to pluck at...and then he was sending her away, sending her away with his heart safe within her walls.

No...no, not his heart. His Rose. Though perhaps they were one and the same.

This wasn’t right. Her Thief was in trouble, was going to die, and she wanted desperately to save him...but what could a ship do? She could not save him alone. She was not a living being in the same way her Thief and his companions were. But...but perhaps…

She could feel the pain radiating off of Rose, the absolute heartbreak and guilt welling up inside her. Her thoughts were haywire and desperate. She too wanted nothing more than to ensure the Doctor’s safety. Rose couldn’t pilot the TARDIS, not yet...but...maybe...perhaps…

The nudge of a memory, the tug of a timeline. The smallest of ideas planted to bring hope.

_The heart of the TARDIS. The time vortex. The Slitheen, Rose...remember what happened. You were there. You saw it. Remember...and follow the signs...and think of me. Come home. Please. We can save him still...but I need your help..._

She could see all of time and space, could see it all. What could and couldn’t happen, what was and wasn’t possible...the things that rang of wrongness in time’s slipstream and the things she could change to make things _right._  She saw timelines that almost were and timelines that could never be...and the ones that never were and never could were so much more numerous than the ones that _could_ and _did_ _._

She saw futures, both good and bad, but not always every detail. She had known there was a way to ensure a happy ending here, but she had been unable to see what it was...until now. She knew. She knew this was right. As the glow of her heart flooded the console room, and as Rose stared into its depths, she knew. This had always been coming. This was meant to be.

Time and time again she had saved her Thief, changed the smallest of details so that his future was as bright as she could make it. She had saved his life before, over and over, and today she would save it again...but _this_ time her actions were far from small. Perhaps she was breaking the rules with this one, but really...for her Thief? It was more than worth it.

The universe and its timelines shivered, shuddered, rippled against what Rose and the TARDIS were trying to do, but they - _she_ \- knew there was nothing to be afraid of.

 

The Doctor had no need to fear the big Bad Wolf.

 

 

 

The TARDIS was, at her heart, time itself. Past, present, future...there was no difference between the three, as in her eyes, it was all happening at once. She could see it all and she sat at the center of every moment in time, could feel the turn of the universe and every tiny change to the numerous timelines that spanned its existence. Some were beautiful...and some weren’t so pleasant. The existence, the image, of a vast white wall came to her, a hole between universes...and a being who claimed to be the devil, one who sought to tear her Thief and her Wolf apart...and a new new planet visited twice, one timeline with a pink and yellow human girl being there for both trips and another timeline in which she wasn’t there the second time at all...and a time of locked memories and pretending to be human, where the timeline of broken hearts was the happier of the choices. So many chances, and so many changes, and so many timelines that could lead to so many different futures.

Her Thief and her Wolf could be happy together. They _could,_  if only given the chance. And they would be. She would make sure they would get that chance, even if she had to break a few rules along the way.

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks for reading! I hope you enjoyed it! I don't know when I might post the next part, but I have a few chapters and episode rewrites in the works. If I get a positive response from people, I'll definitely share the next part. Keep your eyes out for it, and feel free to leave any critiques and comments if you feel like it. Hope you're all having a lovely Christmas and Holiday season!
> 
> ~ Pixie


End file.
